James Tavernier, the right back who scored in the 3-1 victory over Hibs, made history as the highest-scoring British defender of all time. Rangers manager Philippe Clement showered the right back with adulation.
At Ibrox, Tavernier, who had earlier missed a penalty, gave Rangers the lead with a goal on minute 27. Stoppage time in the first half saw Myziane Maolida tie the score, but Cyriel Dessers regained the lead just before halftime. While Tavernier stole the show, topping fellow full-back and skilled spot-kick taker Graham Alexander in the defensive scoring statistics in the UK, Rabbi Matondo, a substitute, sealed the victory late on.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment,” Clement remarked, “especially considering he still has a few years left to make this record even bigger.” You can’t begin to imagine the number of excellent defenders and defenders with strong offensive capabilities who have played the game over football’s entire history.
“Being at the top is an incredible accomplishment, and we’re all really happy for him. After the game, I said the same thing in the dressing room. I don’t like to single out specific players too often, but this time I had no choice. The players, staff, supporters, and everyone else associated with Rangers are really proud of him. It truly is very remarkable.
Clement was happy with his team’s performance against Hibs and their quick response after Maolida’s goal was conceded. The Belgian said, “It was very satisfying to see the way we played because Hibs have a good team.” They made smart transfers in January, and they’re currently enjoying success. However, we had a commanding game.
It’s unfortunate that their lone attempt on goal against us resulted in a goal against us. However, the response was excellent, and this season that has been our strength. Thus, today had a lot of good things. The way we scored goals, generated opportunities, and played. You can see our hunger, determination, and will to act morally. And positive outcomes follow from well-executed roles. That’s how things operate.
Rangers moved back to the summit of the Premiership with this win, although Celtic can regain that position if they beat Livingston on Sunday ahead of the Old Firm showdown at Ibrox next weekend. Clement was quizzed on his team’s next match and how ready they are for the challenge. “Is it Celtic?” he quipped. “I’m confident we can win against everybody. Are we at our best now? No. We had all the injuries and some players are not there at their best yet. But I also know that we can win that game and we have the quality to do that. It’s also not the decisive ending game of the season. We still have eight games to go. So, I’m focused on the next one and after that it will be the next one again.”
